How food ushers in new beginnings at Ugadi

It is only during Ugadi that we think of neem and jaggery together, says author and columnist Ratna Rajaiah. She explains the tradition and practice associated with bevu-bella or the sweet and sour neem-jaggery combination for Ugadi. “Nature is not just a resource, but a macrocosm. Therefore, we celebrate every important cyclic transition or change in nature as a blessing of the divine.”

Ratna elaborates how this festival is celebrated in summer, a season when the neem tree is at its peak as are bacterial, viral and skin infections. This is also why neem twigs are hung on doorposts to combat conditions that spread due to the wind and heat.

According to Ratna, neem trees shed their foliage in winter and new leaves are seen at the start of summer. These fresh leaves and creamy white flowers are used during Ugadi celebrations.

There is a reason this mixture is consumed during the festival. “The sweetness of jaggery and bitterness of neem leaves represent the joys and sorrows of life. The bevu-bella mixture is symbolic of our mental preparation to face life with optimism and is a spiritual elevation for a balanced mind,” she explains. Exchanging bevu-bella with family, friends and neighbours is tantamount to saying you will stand by them, come what may.

Seasonal servings

Two dishes that are the highlight of the season are bevu-bella, eaten raw or with the neem pachadi made from fresh flowers, and obattu, also known as holige.

Traditionally, one prepared bele-obattu using lentils, or kaayi-obattu (coconut). These days, however, varieties abound. “It is essentially a sweet stuffing of jaggery, coconut, cardamom and daal in an outer cover of maida or rava, that is rolled out and cooked on a tawa. The process is similar to making aloo parathas, except these are sweet instead of savoury and maida is used instead of atta. Saal, spices and salt are ground together and used for the filling in savoury obattus,” says Ratna.

“The carrot was the first vegetable to be included in obattus, and were made especially for the health conscious,” she says. The last decade has seen unimaginable variations for fillings such a genasu (sweet potato), beetroot, palak leaves, dates, mixed fruits, badami, sooji-rava, horsegram and sesame-khova, to name a few.

The Ugadi pachadi is a blend of different flavours to represent the myriad facets of life: sweet (jaggery), bitter (neem flowers), tangy (raw mango), sour (tamarind), spicy (pepper or chili), and salty, each embodying varied emotions. “Ugadi pachadi is not just a ritualistic offering, it is a nutritional powerhouse rooted in Ayurveda. Each ingredient serves a purpose in preparing the body for the seasonal shift,” says Ratna.